watson after finishing 3rd at the 2026 Esports World Cup in Dota 2: “We’ll fix our mistakes and try to win The International.”
In a team vlog on Okko, the players of Team Yandex discussed their loss in the match to advance to the finals of the 2026 Esports World Cup in Dota 2 and shared their future plans.
The quote is reproduced with the source’s spelling and punctuation intact
On the loss to PARIVISION
Saksa: We had a poor draft across all three games, and we weren’t quite ready, while they were simply better prepared than we were.
DM: We stumbled on a single day—and that cost us the finals. But to be honest, I’m very proud of how we performed throughout this tournament. I think we held our own against many good teams, including 1w and Team Spirit. We performed quite well in our group, which, in my humble opinion, wasn’t an easy one. Yes, we really messed up the draft against PV, but even with an 80-to-20 disadvantage, they still managed to play three maps—not even two—which shows that even in the toughest situations, a team can pull through and show character. So I’m completely proud of the team.
Obviously, I’m disappointed that it turned out this way, but it would have been much more frustrating to lose with a 50-50 draft and simply [lose] due to individual mistakes than to lose when the whole problem was, let’s say, a complete lack of coordination in the drafts. And, basically, we’ve identified that as a mistake, and we’ll be working on it at the International. Or rather, we’re already working on it, you could say.
On the victory over Vici Gaming
watson: Well, top 3, I guess. Consistently top 3.
[Question: “What do you have to say about today’s game? Vici didn’t put up much of a fight at all, did they?”]
I think we just played better than yesterday. We had no miscommunication during the draft; everyone was on the same page [On the same wavelength. — Ed.]. We just played better than yesterday.
[Question: “Is finishing in the top 3 of the tournament a good result for you, or is only first place good enough?”]
Well, I’m still upset that we lost to PARIVISION in such a silly way. I think we could have easily won this tournament, but oh well—we’ll prepare for the Int. We’ll fix our mistakes and try to win the Int.
On their performance at the EWC
Malady: As you know, the tournament is already over for us. Some people thought we played well, but I think we could have played much better. I think we definitely didn’t play our best game against PARIVISION. We’ve worked on our mistakes. At least we beat Vici Gaming and took third place. Anyway, let’s not dwell on it; let’s not think about the past anymore. Let’s look to the future and live in the present. Ahead of us is the biggest event of the year—The International. I think we’ll put on a solid performance right there at The International. Stay tuned!
The International 2026 will take place from August 13 to 23. This year, the tournament will be hosted by Shanghai, with an initial prize pool of $1.6 million. Team Yandex received an invitation based on the results it demonstrated throughout the season.
Photo by Michal Konkol, BLAST.
